If your boat falls apart in the conditions you plan on sailing in your surveyor must have really missed something. True, the Bene is not built like the Cabo, far from it. If it were, and the age you are considering, you would have to add at least one more digit to the asking price.

Look on Yachtworld for 20+ year old Catalinas, Hunters, Beneteaus. There are still a lot of them afloat and for sale. They are built for a purpose similar to your end use. Coastal cruising and enjoying the life.

If the boat has been well taken care of your maintenance will be minimal compared to the Cabo. If the boat has been abused it should show up in the survey and you walk away. You have to ask yourself what you want, what time you are willing to invest in maintenance, and what your bottom line is. There are many people, including some on this site, that seem to buy boats to work on as there passion. More power to them. Then there are those of us who are fairly handy, but prefer to go sailing to working on the boat. No matter which boat you end up purchasing you WILL spend time, or money, or most likely both on maintenance. Just plan on it in your boat budget. The acronym for boat is a reality.